Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had a historic opportunity “to remove the Iranian threat”, addressing a rally in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday.

Iran is weaker than ever, Israel is stronger than ever,” he said as exit polls predicted a deadlock in the Israeli election.

“Israel is facing a historic, one-time opportunity along with our friend president Trump to remove the Iranian threat once and for all,” he added.

Former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin has predicted that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be defeated by opponent Gadi Eisenkot.

“The main thing is that Netanyahu will not continue and be the Israeli prime minister”, he told Al Jazeera.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister in Israel, said, “The night is still young” as exit polls suggest a deadlock with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main opponent Gadi Eisenkot.

Ben-Gvirt told supporters at a gathering that he hoped his bloc, led by Netanyahu, “was close to forming a right-wing government”, per The New York Times.

Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the formation of “a strong, right-wing national government” after exit polls predicted a deadlock in Israel’s election.

With actual votes trickling in, Kan 11 and Channel 13 exit polls had the blocs tied at 51-51, while Channel 12 gave Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc a narrow 52-49 edge.

None left either side with the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

In Kiryat Shmona, a Netanyahu stronghold near the border with Lebanon, one man kicked and tore down a poster of Eisenkot.

The election is Israel’s first national vote since the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza and related conflicts.

In Tel Aviv, families of some killed on Oct. 7 or former hostages held a moment of silence.

“Remember all those whose voices are no more,” said Yona Adam, whose daughter Mapal Adam was killed.

Around 330,000 young Israelis, many facing compulsory military service under the shadow of war, are eligible to vote for the first time.

Eisenkot started the day by visiting communities attacked on Oct. 7.

“If someone in the government had a shred of responsibility, they would start the morning here” in the communities near Gaza, he said.

Standing in a cheering crowd, Eisenkot called on all Israelis to vote to get rid of “the worst government Israel has known.”

He noted that victory wasn’t certain, adding that “we are on perhaps the most critical day since the founding of the state.”

There were scattered allegations of irregularities and issues at polling stations, but Dean Livne, the acting director-general of the elections commission, said the number of complaints was so far much lower than in previous elections.

Exit polls show Israel’s election ended in an apparent deadlock, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival Gadi Eisenkot on track for a 61-seat majority.

The election served as the first opportunity for Israeli citizens to vote following the October 7 domestic security failure and subsequent conflicts with Hamas and Iran.

Israel has found itself increasingly isolated over its conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.

Public support among Americans has plummeted, and partners in Europe and elsewhere have slapped sanctions on Israel.

Netanyahu faces an international arrest warrant over alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza, allegations he denies.

Also hanging over the election were lingering tensions with Iran. Netanyahu ramped up threats ahead of the vote, warning Tehran it would face “a devastating blow” if it attacked Israel.

Netanyahu’s supporters see him as a steady hand and a consummate statesman who has led Israel through a war of redemption after the country’s darkest hour.

They think he is protecting Israel’s security and Jewish identity in the face of international pressure and liberal elites at home.

His detractors see him as a polarising leader who, beset by an ongoing corruption trial, dragged out the war in Gaza and its hostage crisis for political reasons.

They say he is undermining Israel’s independent judiciary and weakening its democratic underpinnings.

And they accuse him of abetting a system that has allowed ultra-Orthodox religious Jews to avoid military conscription.